Antiplatelet effects of licking an aspirin tablet can be detected by thrombelastography.

Aspirin is a cornerstone of treatment in cardiovascular disease. However, individual responses vary and hyporesponsiveness has been associated with poor outcomes following percutaneous intervention. Point of care assays for detecting the effects of aspirin in individual patients would therefore be useful. Thrombelastography has been shown to correlate with optical aggregation in the assessment of antiplatelet therapies and is suitable for use as a point of care assay. We demonstrate the ability of thrombelastography to detect the profound effects of even the tiny doses of aspirin obtained by licking an aspirin tablet.